- Queen’s coffin taken from Balmoral Castle where she died
- The coffin arrives at the royal palace in Edinburgh
- The crowds, some in tears, climb the route
- A mass of flowers left outside the royal palaces
- The funeral will be held on September 19
EDINBURGH, Scotland, Sept 11 (Reuters) – Queen Elizabeth’s coffin arrived in Edinburgh on Sunday after a six-hour journey from her summer home in the Scottish Highlands, after tens of thousands of mourners along the route, many in somber silence, some clapping. and others with tears.
At the end of its slow journey through the picturesque Scottish countryside, villages, towns and small towns, soldiers in skirts carried the coffin into the throne room of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Elizabeth’s official Scottish residence, where she will remain for the night
In an emotional tribute to his mother on Friday, the Queen’s eldest son and new monarch King Charles said he had begun a “last great journey” to join Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years who died last year.
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Earlier, the hearse carrying the oak coffin left the gates of Balmoral Castle, where he died on Thursday at the age of 96, at the start of the journey to the Scottish capital.
Her coffin was draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland with a wreath made at the top of the Balmoral estate, including sweet peas, a favorite of Elizabeth’s.
Crowds, fifteen points deep, gathered in the center of Edinburgh to greet the court as it made its way to Holyroodhouse, where it was greeted by a military honor guard.
The Queen’s daughter Anne, flanked by the Queen’s younger sons Princes Andrew and Edward, bowed as the coffin was carried inside by soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
“There was no way I was going to miss this. I would regret it for the rest of my life,” said Eilidh Mackintosh, 62, who left home at 6am to ensure a good view between the great crowds at the famous Edinburgh Royal. mile
Rachel Lindsay, 24, was left in tears as the coffin passed. “It’s very sad,” he said. “I don’t think we expected it to ever happen. I just thought it would live forever. I didn’t think it was real until I saw it.”
The journey from Balmoral was the first in a series of events leading up to the state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on 19 September.
Her death has sparked tears, sadness and warm tributes, not only from the Queen’s immediate family and many in Britain, but from around the world, reflecting her presence on the world stage for seven decades.
Wherever the court went, people lined the road or stopped their cars to get out and watch. At one point, he passed a guard of honor made up of dozens of tractors lined up in adjacent fields by farmers.
Many watched in silence under the bright sun. Some threw flowers on the road. Others were moved to tears by the excitement of the moment.
“It’s very, very sad. I’m glad I was here to say goodbye,” said Elizabeth Alexander, 69, who was born on the day the Queen was crowned in 1953. read more
Thousands of people continue to flock to Britain’s royal palaces, carrying bouquet after bouquet of flowers. In Green Park, near London’s Buckingham Palace, where some of the tributes are being made, long rows of bouquets wind around the park allowing mourners to read the tributes.
Other well-wishers have attached their messages of condolence to the trees.
Charles became king immediately after the death of his mother and was officially proclaimed the new monarch in a ceremony on Saturday, full of spectacle and centuries-old traditions. Read more
The Princess Royal bows at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, as she arrives at Holyroodhouse, where she will lie in repose for a day, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain on September 11, 2022. Aaron Chown/Pool via REUTERS
Read more
Similar proclamations follow in the United Kingdom and the 14 other kingdoms of which Charles is now head of state, including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Read more
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that parliament will be dismissed to allow its members to pay their respects. Read more
The Queen came to the throne after the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952, when she was just 25 years old. His coronation took place a year later.
Although Elizabeth’s death was not entirely unexpected given her age and failing health, there was still a sense of shock at the news.
“We all thought he was invincible,” his grandson Prince William, now heir to the throne, told a well-wisher as he met crowds at Windsor Castle on Saturday. Read more
FUNERAL
The highly choreographed mourning plans will continue on Monday. Charles will join other royals in Edinburgh when the coffin is carried in a procession from Holyroodhouse to the city’s St Giles Cathedral for a service.
It will remain there for 24 hours to allow people to pay their last respects and the new king and members of the royal family will also hold a vigil.
The day of the Queen’s funeral will be a public holiday in Britain, officials have announced. US President Joe Biden has said he will be there, although full details of the event and attendees have not yet been released.
Before that, her coffin will be moved to London and there will be a somber procession as it later moves from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall to lie in state for four days.
“It goes without saying that we can expect a large number of people,” a spokesman for Prime Minister Liz Truss told reporters.
Truss, whose appointment as prime minister on Tuesday was the Queen’s last public act, will join King Charles as the new head of state and prime minister on a tour of the UK’s four nations in the next few days Read more
Charles, 73, is now the 41st monarch in a line that traces its origins to Norman King William the Conqueror who captured the English throne in 1066.
Elizabeth’s death has ended a difficult couple of years for the royal family.
The most prominent issue has involved her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who left royal life in 2020 to move to California from where they have both been fierce critics of the institution.
This has left them estranged from the rest of the family, with Harry and his older brother William said to be barely on speaking terms. But their grandmother’s death has put their differences aside as they appeared alongside their wives outside Windsor Castle to meet the crowds on Saturday. Read more
A royal source described it as an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family.
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Reporting by Michael Holden, William James and William Schomberg in London, Russell Cheyne in Balmoral, Lewis MacDonald and Marco Trujillo in Ballater, and Andrew MacAskill and Lindsay Dunsmuir in Edinburgh Editing by Kate Holton, Mark Potter, Andrew Heavens and Frances Kerry
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